CWD is pleased to announce a day of Focus Groups at the Friends for Life conference. Focus groups will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.

What is a Focus Group?
A focus group is a small gathering of people with the purpose of discussing one particular topic or "focus." In our case, the focus groups will range from 6-100 people each, and may discuss a new product in development, a product already on the market (and the company wants feedback), a particular method of diabetes management, or it may focus on a specific age group (e.g.., how do teens feel about pumping or blood glucose testing?). Some sessions are clearly associated with one product or company, while others are led anonymously. All focus groups have been reviewed by Children with Diabetes.

What is the Schedule?
Focus groups will be held at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. They will last 90 minutes each. Refreshments will be provided (snacks and beverages) during each meeting.

How do I sign up?
You must currently be registered for the conference to sign up for a focus group. Any member of your family may participate. Children are welcome to participate in focus groups specifically for children, or specifically for families. You may participate in more than one focus group.

Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a group is full, we will so indicate on this webpage. For more information, please use our Online Feedback Form.

Smiths Medical is interested in your opinions about concepts to improve your pumping experience and your diabetes management. Join us for our focus group and tell us what would you like to see in the future. From features to concepts, we want to hear your opinions. Kids all ages and parents are welcome!

You are the EXPERTS when it comes to your diabetes management. What makes YOU tick? Come share your experiences and provide feedback on how a manufacturer of products for diabetes should reach out to teens with diabetes. Please join us, and earn some extra spending money – 10 Universal Dollars – for Universal Studios. This focus group is exclusively for teens who have type 1 diabetes and are currently using insulin pump therapy.

Many issues affect how well teens with diabetes transition to adulthood. This discussion will focus on the issues that affect how teens and their parents navigate through the critical phase of transition from pediatric to adult health care. The discussion will help the National Diabetes Education Program to identify major teen concerns about the transition process such as taking an active role in managing their own health care needs, securing health insurance, finding a new adult health care provider, transferring medical records, and getting appropriate health care as needed. Join other teens to discuss your concerns and ideas on this topic.
Facilitator: Tracy Berry, M.S.

Having a loved one with diabetes, how do you stay informed about diabetes-related issues that are important to you? Join representatives from the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation to discuss communication and your thoughts on diabetes research.

Help Define the Future
Location: Tarpon
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Open to: Teenagers (13 - 19) who currently use an insulin pump and/or a CGM system

Do you want to help define the next generation of diabetes care technologies & products? If yes, then consider spending some time with one of the leaders in the industry, and share your insights about living with diabetes. Your participation will help influence the next wave of diabetes care innovations.
This focus group is full

Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health CareCompany: National Diabetes Education Program (NIH/NDEP)
Location: Unicorn
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Open to: Parents of Teens and Young Adults with Diabetes

As your teen with diabetes matures, there are many issues that affect his or her healthy and happy transition to young adulthood. This discussion will focus on the issues that affect how families navigate through the critical phase of transition from pediatric to adult health care. Parents need to be involved in this transition process and to understand the changes in their own parental roles. The discussion will help the National Diabetes Education Program identify major parental concerns about the process such as preparing their teen or young adult for an active role in managing his or her own health care needs, securing health insurance, finding a new adult health care provider, transferring medical records, and getting appropriate health care as needed.
Facilitator: Joanne Gallivan, M.S. R.D.
This focus group is full

Unomedical would like your opinion about our latest children's and teen's educational materials. Are we offering you the right tools for optimal infusion set management? And how could we improve our educational materials? Join our focus group for children and teens on pumps and help us help you with the right tools for a better everyday life with diabetes.

Smiths Medical invites you to join our focus group to discuss infusion sets. Share your experiences with what works well and what works not so well. Let us know how you would define the perfect infusion set. All pumpers and their parents are welcome.

Diabetes on the WebCompany: LifeScan
Location: Damselfish
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Open to: Parents and older children who use the internet

Discuss how you use the internet for diabetes management, and what kind of information and user experience you are seeking online.

You are the EXPERTS when it comes to your diabetes management. What makes YOU tick? Come share your experiences and provide feedback on how a manufacturer of products for diabetes should reach out to teens with diabetes. Please join us, and earn some extra spending money – 10 Universal Dollars – for Universal Studios. This focus group is exclusively for teens who have Type 1 diabetes and were diagnosed in the past 12 months.

Many issues affect how well teens with diabetes transition to adulthood. This discussion will focus on how young adults handle the transition from pediatric to adult health care. The discussion will help the National Diabetes Education Program identify major concerns young adults have about the transition process such as taking an active role in managing their own health care needs, securing health insurance, finding a new adult health care provider, transferring medical records, and getting appropriate health care as needed. Join other young adults with diabetes to discuss your experiences, obstacles, challenges, and successes in making this transition.
Facilitator: Tracy Berry, M.S.

DAWN Youth is a new global programme that has been created to explore the attitudes, wishes and needs of young people affected by diabetes and their families. Families are invited to learn about new tools and concepts to live better with diabetes.

Help Define the Future
Location: Tarpon
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Open to: Parents of teenagers (13 - 19) who currently use an insulin pump and/or a CGM system

Do you want to help define the next generation of diabetes care technologies & products? If yes, then consider spending some time with one of the leaders in the industry, and share your insights about living with diabetes. Your participation will help influence the next wave of diabetes care innovations.
This focus group is full

The Food and Drug Administration approves glucose meters for use in your home. They are interested in hearing about your experiences with them (e.g., likes, dislikes, problems). Arleen Pinkos from FDA will answer your questions about the requirements for getting FDA approval. If glucose meters are used to calibrate your Continuous Glucose Monitor, what does this mean to you?

The source of testing pain is often related to a lancing device--not a meter. We invite you and your child with diabetes to drop-in ANYTIME during the 90-minute session to take the short Multiclix Challenge. You'll be able to see for yourselves why the ACCU-CHEK MultiClix lancing device is proven the least painful.

Come to our focus group for answers! Why do kids LOVE to go to diabetes camp? Why do parents want to send them? Campers enjoy the camaraderie of making new friends with other kids who have diabetes and who truly understand. Checking blood sugars, taking insulin, and counting carbs are just part of the daily schedule. Who are the staff members and are they trained in diabetes? Is camp just for fun, or do the campers also learn how to better manage their diabetes? Where are diabetes camps located? What is the cost and are scholarships available?

The current environment for you is one of worry and cause for concern. When you drop your child off at the bus or take them to school, how often does the thought cross your mind, "I hope that he or she is doing okay." Do you wish that there were some way to have better visibility to how your child is doing and be able to take better command of the situation? We are developing the first truly comprehensive tool to allow real-time monitoring and uncover addressable trends so that you can feel confident that you are providing your child the very best care.

What was it like when ... ?Company: American Diabetes Association
Location: Japanero
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Open to: Parents whose child was diagnosed at age 0-3

Help the ADA to understand what is was like to have a child diagnosed at age 0-3.

You are the EXPERTS when it comes to your diabetes management. What makes YOU tick? Come share your experiences and provide feedback on how a manufacturer of products for diabetes should reach out to teens with diabetes. Please join us, and earn some extra spending money – 10 Universal Dollars – for Universal Studios. This focus group is exclusively for teens who have type 1 diabetes and are currently managing their diabetes with injections.

Please join us as we share our innovative line of HEALTHSIMPLE™ educational tools for people living with diabetes. Our tools empower those living with diabetes to actively engage in the daily management of their meals and snacks. Become a part of this session to brainstorm the next generation of educational tool offerings!

Finding out that your child has type 1 diabetes can be shocking enough, but thinking about the prospect of your other children developing the disease can be terrifying for some people. This session will give you the chance to hear from two parents whose children are participating in Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet research studies, why they did it, how it impacted their daily lives, and what their hopes are for the future. TrialNet Principal Investigator Dr. Bruce Buckingham will facilitate the session and join the parent presenters to answer questions.

Help Define the Future
Location: Tarpon
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Open to: Parents and caregivers of kids 12 and under who use an insulin pump and/or a CGM system

Do you want to help define the next generation of diabetes care technologies & products? If yes, then consider spending some time with one of the leaders in the industry, and share your insights about living with diabetes. Your participation will help influence the next wave of diabetes care innovations.

The Food and Drug Administration approves Continuous Glucose Monitors for use in your home. They are interested in hearing about your experiences with them (e.g., the training you received, how easy they are to use, or how you handle all of the information they give you). Do you think they are suitable for replacing your meters? Arleen Pinkos is happy to answer your questions about how a CGM gets approved for marketing and can update you on work on "closing the loop."

Help shape the future of the Children with Diabetes (CWD) Web site and conferences. Drop-in anytime during this session and tell us what you like about the CWD online experience and about attending CWD events. Plus, what would you like to see added, changed or improved? We want to hear directly from you to make the CWD Web site and conferences even better!

Pelikan Sun – Change the Way You Feel about TestingCompany: Pelikan Technologies
Location: Fantail
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Open to: Kids of all ages with a parent

This group will discuss families' experiences with the Pelikan Sun electronic lancing device and the positive role electronic lancing can play in helping families manage their child's diabetes. Also, parents' and children's feedback and recommendations to Pelikan on the PelikanIsland.com website will be discussed. How we can best develop the site to meet your needs?

As a teenager, going out with friends and having a good time while having to constantly worry about what effect it's having on your diabetes may be really frustrating. Just being part of the group is difficult if you have to watch what you eat and when you can or cannot do things with the others. We understand this and is developing the first truly comprehensive tool that allows discreet guidance for you to actively manage the situation. Through real-time monitoring and coaching you can now have a way to proactively enjoy a healthy lifestyle without feeling restricted by your condition.

What was it like when ... ?Company: American Diabetes Association
Location: Japanero
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Open to: Parents whose child was diagnosed at age 4-7

Help the ADA to understand what is was like to have a child diagnosed at age 4-7.

You are the EXPERTS when it comes to your diabetes management. What makes YOU tick? Come share your experiences and provide feedback on how a manufacturer of products for diabetes should reach out to teens with diabetes. Please join us, and earn some extra spending money – 10 Universal Dollars – for Universal Studios. This focus group is exclusively for teens who have type 1 diabetes and are currently managing their diabetes with injections.

Starlight is creating an interactive computer game to help kids 6 to 12 how to manage their diabetes. Be on the ground floor of helping us figure out what to include in the game and how to make it interesting and fun. Incentive provided.

Starlight is creating an interactive educational and coping tool that will take the form of a video game to help kids 6 to 12 manage and cope with having diabetes. Bring your good ideas and experiences and help us define something that will appeal to the whole family.

First Timers ReceptionSponsor: Sanofi-Aventis
Location: Crystal Ballroom C-D-E
Open to: Families new to Friends for Life

Families new to Friends for Life are invited to the First Timers Reception. You'll hear from CWD's Jeff Hitchcock and Laura Billetdeaux, have some fun with other first timer families, and learn how to get the most out of the conference. First timer teens should go to the Teen First Timers Welcome Reception in the Wedgwood Ballroom instead.

Teen First Timers Welcome Reception
Location: Wedgwood Ballroom

Teens (ages 13-18) are invited to join CWD's Teen Faculty for a welcome reception. Here's a chance to meet other first timer teens before the conference starts and to learn about how the conference flows for teens.

Last Updated: Monday November 17, 2008 09:39:14
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.